


everything that followed

by PuzzledHats



Category: Arrow (TV 2012)
Genre: F/M, Season/Series 03
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-07-29
Updated: 2014-09-03
Packaged: 2018-02-10 21:48:34
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 5,417
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2041434
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/PuzzledHats/pseuds/PuzzledHats
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>All he knows is, she starts it.</p><p>(now with a second chapter)</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> I blame the spoilers for this one. Also, I blame Oliver for being so stupid in love. 
> 
> Special thanks to [fromfanontocanon](http://archiveofourown.org/users/fromfanontocanon/pseuds/fromfanontocanon) for her beta skills and being an all around awesome person.

**“If you didn't love him, this never would have happened. But you did. And accepting that love and everything that followed it is part of letting it go.”**   
**― Sarah Dessen, Dreamland**

* * *

 

All he knows is, she starts it.  
  
One minute he’s telling her how they are more than the sum of their parents. That they don’t have to turn out the same, don’t have to let the sins of their parents become theirs to carry. Trying anything to cheer her up after the disastrous visit from her mother.  
  
Then her hand is on his shoulder, cutting him off and he thinks she’s going to go in for a hug. Hopes she goes in for a hug, because it’s been so long since he’s had an excuse to wrap his arms around her; since before the date, before the ‘I love you.’  
  
But instead, her hand glides up until it gets to his neck, leaving goosebumps in its path, before curling only slightly around the back to his nape. He doesn’t move, has forgotten how to breathe.  
  
And then, with just the slightest bit of pressure from her fingers, he’s falling forward. Hell, he’d fallen a long time ago because it’s a kiss three years in the making and just as fucking good as he knew it would be.  
  
Somewhere, in the far corners of his brain he’s trying to remind himself why this is a bad idea. Why he walked away last fall. But then Felicity shifts to her tip toes, hitching one of her legs up his thigh and he knows he’s a goner.  
  
Dipping, his hands reach for her knees, sliding up the backs of her thighs as he lifts, blindly looking for the closest surface to push her against. It ends up being a concrete pillar. He’s sure it’s rough against her back, but she doesn’t seem to care, just tightening her legs around him, grinding down on him as best as she can from her angle.  
  
“Felicity,” he whispers, pulling back from her mouth to rest his forehead against hers. He keeps his eyes closed, can feel her breath, the rise and fall of her chest as she repeats her actions. The thing is, she doesn’t even have a very good angle, he would have to move her down a little to get it right. But the little contact that is being made is making his brain go blank. He should stop this. He pulls back, looks at her for the first time. God, when had he pulled out her hair band?  
  
“We decided this wasn’t a good idea.”  
  
And they had decided, together, that it was best not to go there. That neither could risk losing the other, not after the disaster of their one and only date.  
  
“Oliver,” she says, her hand that had been resting on his chest moves up to join the other one behind his neck. “I don’t want to be alone tonight.”  
  
Fuck him, but she’s giving him these big soft eyes that he can’t resist. Never could, not since day one. He nods, already leaning forward, hungry for her lips. As he does he shifts her down, makes sure his cock is right where it needs to be. She must like the change because she starts going faster and he starts thrusting back, kissing down her neck.  
  
Fuck, he could come just like this, dry humping like a teenager.  
  
“Do you have a—“ Felicity asks. He cuts her off with a nod, pulling her away from the concrete and stumbling in the direction of the cot. He stops by the toolbox, almost forgets why he’s there, because Felicity is sucking on the pulse point under his ear and fuck him if that doesn’t feel amazing.  
  
Eventually his hands close around the box of condoms and he’s moving again, falling on the bed and just barely catching himself before Felicity gets hit by the full weight of him. She doesn’t seem to notice, pulling off his clothing. Liking the way she thinks, his hands skim the zipper on the side of her dress, pulling it down before bunching up the dress until she’s forced to throw her hands up so he can take it off.  
  
He kind of loses track of things from there, because fuck, he knew she’d been working out with Diggle. But never in his wildest dreams did he picture her looking this perfect.  
  
“Fuck,” he says when she's pushes him on his back, effortlessly rolling on the condom and sinking down, taking in all of him. She leans forward then, resting her hands on his shoulders until her breasts skim his chest with every shift of her hips.  
  
He thinks he hears her mumble his name into his clavicle when his hands grab her ass, his hips pushing back against her thrusts. He knows for a fact he isn’t going to last long, so he moves a thumb and a forefinger to her clit, hoping to speed along the process.  
  
When she comes her whole body tightens, curling onto him. He can feel her mouth on his chest. He’s pissed for half a second that he didn’t get to see her face. Decides then and there this night is far from over.  
  
She rides him through her orgasm, collapsing on top of him. That’s when he rolls them, his hand on one of her knees opening her up a little more and he gives in completely. Lets himself go, pounding into her, saying her name over and over again until he finally comes.  
  
“Oh God,” he moans as he slides out of her, barely having the energy to roll on his back beside her.  
  
“Yeah,” she agrees next to him. He rolls his head to look at her. Her eyes are closed, her entire body flushed, her hair fanned out around her. He wants to take a picture to keep with him forever. Instead he forces himself to clean up before collapsing on the bed beside her, not touching her.  
  
“Hey you,” Felicity says, nudging her foot against his calf. She’s looking at him now, a small smile on her face. She looks happy. He wonders if she’s as happy as he is.  
  
“Hey,” he says back, his hand reaching out to grab hers. They fall asleep like that, holding hands, not even bothering to get under the covers.  
  
When he wakes, it’s to Felicity throwing a condom on his chest. She doesn’t say anything, just kisses him thoroughly before pulling back. He’s already painfully hard, but then she turns her back to him, going down on all fours. She looks at him over her shoulder and fuck him, but maybe he isn’t the only one who has fantasies about bending her over her desk.  
  
He makes quick work of the condom, getting on his knees in between hers, pushing into her while keep his hands tight on her hips. Fuck he loves her ass, loves the feel of it against him as he sets a brutal pace. She seems to undo all his years of self-control because he comes almost embarrassingly fast again.  
  
He knows he should feel bad about not waiting until she came, but he really can't muster it. Because he flips her on her back, buries his head between her thighs and fuck has he wanted to do that for forever.  He makes her come twice like that until her hand grips his hair tightly and she cries, “Enough.”  
  
This time, after he cleans them both up, he finds her climbing under the covers. He follows her, pulling her back to his chest, entangling their legs and wrapping an arm around her.  
  
“Thank you,” she says and he almost laughs. Because thanking him for the best sex of his life is the most ridiculous thing she’s ever said to him. Instead he tightens his arm and she snuggles into him.  
  
The next morning he wakes when she gingerly pulls his arm off of her, watches as she stands up, stretching. He wants to grab her, pull her back into bed. But he knows the score. Knows what happens now. He watches as she forgoes putting on the same dress, instead pulling on the work out clothes she keeps there.  
  
He sits on the edge of the cot, the sheets bunched around his middle as he waits for the end. She comes over when she’s collected everything, shoving her dress into her bag. She stands before him, smiling down and he knows he’s wearing a matching smile on his own face.  
  
He’s just thankful she’s smiling, not frowning.  
  
She drops her purse and comes forward, sliding her knees onto the bed and either side of his thighs.  She brushes a thumb along his chin and he sighs, wishing they could stay like this forever.  
  
“I’m going to go to Central City for a few days,” she says quietly. He keeps his smile in place as his heart sinks in his chest. “I think you’re right. We have to move on from this.”  
  
He isn’t sure if she’s trying to reassure him or herself, but he nods along at her words, knowing in his heart he won’t be moving on from her.  
  
“I love you,” he says, because he’s a bastard like that and it might be the last time he gets to say it out loud.  
  
“I love you too,” she says. He hopes he’s imagining the tears collecting in her eyes. But she pushes back, off of him, stoops to collect her purse and gives him one last assessing look, the smile long since wiped from her face.  
  
“Tell Barry ‘hi’ for me,” he says before either of them do something they can’t take back. She nods, turns to leave, doesn't look back.  
  
He watches her go before collapsing back onto the cot, telling himself at least he had one night. One night where he was allowed to worship her the way she deserved to be worshipped. One night where he didn’t have to pretend, didn’t have to hide or squash down his feelings.  
  
One night. If that’s all he ever gets, he knows he can die happy.


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> okay, so I ended up continuing this. I guess this is sort of my idea how I think season 3 will go. NOT that I think they will sleep together so soon, but yeah, her and Ray? This is kind of how I see it going...I guess?? 
> 
> Is it October yet??

 She is in Central City for four days when _ZIP_ , Barry appears in the foundry carrying Felicity in his arms. Her head is turned into his shoulder, her arms wrapped around his neck.

“See,” Barry says as her head pulls away and she blinks at their surroundings. ”Told you this was faster.”

Oliver wonders why the sight of the woman he loves in the arms of another man doesn’t irritate him more, but all he can think is he’s glad she’s back. 

“Thanks for the lift, I guess,” Felicity says as Barry sets her on her feet. Felicity is staring up at Barry with a goofy grin that Barry is returning.

“Anytime, just give me a call. I’ll be here in a—“

“Barry,” Felicity cuts him off with a laugh. Oliver can’t remember the last time he made her laugh.

“Okay, okay,” Barry says looking a little ashamed at his attempted pun. “But it’s the truth. If you need anything at all. Just call.”

As he’s talking, Barry’s eye move over Felicity’s shoulder to rest on Oliver. It’s the first time either have acknowledged he’s there. Oliver gives him a small head nod that Barry returns.

“Good to see you, Oliver,” Barry says. Oliver hopes he’s imagining the pity in Barry’s voice.

“You too,” Oliver says, stopping before he thanks Barry for watching out for his girl. She’s not his girl and she can take care of herself. With one final wave at both of them, Barry is gone in the blink of an eye. 

“I think I may be onto something,” Felicity says, stepping forward to her desk. “Barry helped me figure out what is in the new Vertigo. Based on the components, we may be able to find the company supplying them.”

He watches the back of her head, her ponytail swaying as she boots up her computers.

“Oliver,” she says, finally turning to look at him. She is smiling at him as if he hadn’t been naked the last time she saw him. “Sound like a plan?”

“Oh yeah.” He nods, because if that’s how she wants to play it, so can he. “Good plan."

She nods back at him before turning back around and settling into her chair. Oliver stands dumbly in the middle of the foundry having completely forgotten what he was doing there. He turns slowly on the spot, looking for some distraction. He settles on the salmon ladder.

It had been a rough four days for him, getting less sleep than usual. His dreams now include Felicity. He’s tasted her now, felt her inside and out, so his dreams are in high def. He doesn’t know if he hates or loves them.

 

* * *

 

He swears it was a total accident.

It’s been several months since Felicity’s trip to Central City. He knows she visits sometimes, having become fast friends with Iris, but they don’t talk about her trips much. They also don’t ever talk about their one night together. Diggle asks once, what happened, but Oliver brushed it off. Things weren’t back to normal, but they were getting there. 

A copycat Dollmaker shows up and everyone is on edge as the team works closely with Lance to track down the killer. He’s been up for thirty-six hours. They keep hitting dead ends and the frustration level within the team has been mounting. 

Which is his excuse. 

Felicity isn’t at her desk, so when her phone chirps that it’s received a text message, he doesn’t hesitate to pick it up, sure it’s Lance getting back to them about a lead.

He has to read the text two times before any of it makes sense.

\------------

**Ray Palmer**

_**[Had a great time last night. Any chance I could take you out for dinner again this week?]** _

 ------------

“Is that Lance?” Felicity says, walking up to him with a questioning look.

He shakes his head, takes a short shallow breath and shoves the phone back at her.

“Sorry,” he apologizes as she looks down at the phone to see what he’d seen. He takes a step back from her as her shoulders fall a little. 

“Oliver—“ She begins looking back up at him. He stops her with a wave of his hand, forcing himself to maintain eye contact. 

“I’m going to go patrol.” He’s going to find someone’s face to punch.

She purses her lips like she isn’t about to let it go, so he lets the mask drop, shows her the pain he feels at the idea of her being with someone else—begs with his eyes. Unspoken communication comes in handy, because she nods, turning her back on him.

He takes down three would-be-muggers that night, leaves them a little more bruised then he intended. Felicity is still working studiously at her desk when he gets back that night. Roy is there too, thankfully, working on his aim. 

“You’re dropping your elbow too much,” Oliver points out as he stows his bow. Roy grunts a response, correcting his form. He turns to Felicity. “Any word from Lance?”

“Yes,” she says with a quick nod and launches into an explanation of what she and Lance have discovered. Halfway through Laurel calls to give them a detailed list of people who worked on the Dollmaker case the first time around. It’s a little past one when Oliver calls it a night.

“I’ll check out that motel on my way home,” Roy says with a yawn, zipping up his red hoodie and giving them a wave goodbye. 

Felicity is standing too, gathering her coat and bag, she waits patiently at the bottom of the stairs, knowing he won’t let her walk to her car alone at this time of night. 

“Are we okay?” Felicity asks once they’re outside in the cold winter air.

“Always,” he says, opening her car door for her after he hears her unlock it. He smiles at her, hoping he sells it.

She smiles back, but it’s a little more tentative. 

“I should have told you. I’m sorry,” she says, wiping the smile from both their faces.

“No. It’s none of my business,” he says, because it isn’t, never was.

She gives him another sad smile and god, when was the last time he got a smile from her that wasn't tainted with his mistakes? Too long. Far too long. 

He watches her drive away before getting on his bike, knowing this solution they’d come up with was never going to hold, not for him. 

 

* * *

 

He is literally seeing red. It takes Roy giving him a sharp shove in his chest to get him to stop.

Their carefully laid trap to capture Starling City’s newest vigilante had worked well. Using a method similar to how he captured Sara the first time, they’d managed to get him tied up. Oliver was halfway through his speech about the city having enough vigilantes, when the guy calling himself the Atom laughs. 

Instinct takes over, he hadn’t planned on de-masking the guy, but that laugh. He knows it.

He loses it the minute the mask is off, shaking the man with uncontrolled rage until Roy intervenes.

“Get it together, man,” Roy says, turning in one fluid motion to land a final blow on Palmer, knocking him out cold. He can hear Felicity in his ear, yelling, wanting to know what went wrong.  Roy is signaling to Diggle to bring around the van, telling Felicity through the comm that they are bringing in a visitor. 

Oliver leaves them to deal with it, hopping on his bike and heading back to the foundry at breakneck speed.

“Who was it?” Felicity asks, meeting him at the bottom of the stairs, waiting for him to tell her the truth, her face and tone worried. He brushes past her, doesn’t trust himself to speak as he stores his gear, takes off his hood, ignoring Felicity’s pleas for more information.

His hands are shaking until she grabs them, pulling on them slightly until he looks at her. 

“Oliver?” She says in that way that rocks him to his core. Suddenly he can breathe again, but how on earth is going to tell her. She deserves the truth, but she’d been happy, Palmer made her happy. He swallows, deciding to just bite the bullet, when he hears the foundry door open. 

They turn as one to watch Diggle descend, a body thrown over his shoulder, Roy on his heels. The look on Diggle’s face is as unforgiving as he’s sure his is, depositing Palmer on the med table with no care whatsoever. 

Felicity squeaks when his head bounces a little on the metal table. 

“I drugged him in the van,” Dig says and even Oliver is surprised at the level of anger in his tone. “Should be out for another twenty minutes.”

He tries to nod his approval, but Felicity chooses that moment to walk forward, her eyes fixed on the Palmer’s face, her mouth hanging open slightly. He has to look away when she reaches med table, her hand moving to trace Palmer’s eyebrows in an undeniably loving gesture. 

“I didn’t know,” she whispers, her eyes never leaving her boyfriend’s face. Oliver scoffs at that, of course she hadn’t known. She would never keep a secret like that from the team, from him. 

“I need to go before that boy wakes up. Or I make break his neck,” Diggle says with disgust. That gets Felicity’s attention, she looks up at Diggle like she forgot he was there. 

“You all need to leave,” she says, looking at each of them. “I need to do this on my own.”

“Felicity,” Oliver and Dig say at the same time. She cuts them off with a head shake.

“My boyfriend. My business,” she says, her eyes meeting Oliver’s in clear challenge.

“My city. My partner. My team,” Oliver says knowing he should try to get his anger in check, but can’t seem to muster the will to do it.

“Oliver,” she says. “Please.”

The ‘please’ is said in tone reminiscent to the one she used on their one and only night together. And just like it did then, it works.

“Ten minutes.”

“Twenty.”

“Fifteen.” He settles it. “And I’ll be upstairs the whole time.”

She nods in agreement, knowing she can’t push it further. He refuses to leave until Ray begins to stir. He reminds Felicity of her time limit before he follows Roy and Diggle out of the basement. 

“You got this?” Dig asks when they reach the empty club, which never reopened after the Slade fight. Oliver nods, knows exactly what Diggle is getting at. Satisfied, Diggle turns and leaves without a goodbye.

Roy slides onto one of the bar stools, watching as Oliver bounces on his feet to relieve some of the adrenaline. 

“So that’s Felicity’s boyfriend?” Roy asks, even though he knows the answer. 

“Former boyfriend,” Oliver says automatically.

“They broke up? When did that happen?”

“Not yet, but it is happening,”

Roy snorts at that, “Oh, I can’t wait for you try to tell Felicity she has to breakup with that guy. That should be fun.”

Oliver stops moving, stares down his protege until Roy shrugs.

“What?” He asks. “It’s true. If there is one thing I know about Felicity. It’s that she does what she wants. And she isn’t going to take it well if you try to interfere well.”

Oliver hates that Roy has a point, pulling out his phone to check the time instead of responding. At the fourteen minute mark, he gives up and charges back downstairs, Roy following him. 

What he finds is Ray alone, examining his rack of arrows, no Felicity.

“You’re the Arrow?” Ray asks in a way that says he already knows the answer.“And you’re done with this,” Oliver says, gesturing at the suit the guy is wearing. “Starling has enough protectors.”

“I always wondered what your hold over her was, the more I got to know her,” Ray goes on, turning his attention back to the arrows. “Knew it wasn’t the money. Knew it wasn’t just because you were good looking. But this? Everything is so much clearer. Better than my latest assumption. That you two were fucking.”

Oliver has him twisted and shoved up against the concrete pillar before he can get another word out. A side portion of his brain registers it’s the same pillar he’d pushed Felicity up against, for very different reasons.

“You put her life in danger,” Oliver snarls, his voice full Arrow now. “For that I should shove an arrow through your heart.”

“Oliver,” Roy says from somewhere behind him, a warning.

“Either you stop this vigilante stuff or you end things with her,” Oliver says, the ultimatum one he’ll personally see gets filled.

“No,” Ray says, entirely too calm for Oliver.

“No?” Oliver asks, the rage building again. “I will not hesitate to kill you.”

“I know,” Ray says and Oliver is annoyed to realize the idiot isn’t even trying to get out of his hold. “But I believe in my cause and I believe in Felicity. I won’t stop. And I won’t let her go.”

“This life is too dangerous. I swore when I brought her on, I would protect her. You put her life in danger by being associated with her. End it or I end you,” Oliver states. Where the people he loves is concerned there is no limit to what he will do.

“How is that any different than you? Or did I misread the news article about her being attacked last fall while out with you?” Ray spits back, finally showing some anger. “Her life’s already in danger because of you.”

Ray’s words hit Oliver low in the gut and he’s stumbling back as if from a physical blow. He can’t look away from the man before him. Can’t form words.

“You’re right,” Ray says, holding up hands in surrender. “Being with me does put her at risk too. But she’s already associated with me. Breaking up with her now won’t do any good. And at least this way we’re happy.”

“You could get her killed,” Oliver whispers.

“So could you,” Ray says back, not ceding the point. “That’s life. People die. But I’m not going to let that stop me from living.”

He storms past Oliver after that, discussion ended. For now.

“I like him,” Roy says, breaking Oliver out of his trance. Oliver glares at Roy, who laughs, backing up toward the stairs. “I think I’ll leave you to cool off.”

Oliver collapses into Felicity’s chair, thinks he smells her perfume. 

Ray’s words are on a constant loop in his head. He may hate the man, but fuck, he might have a point.

 

* * *

 

Ra’s al Ghul leaves him no other option. He’s forced to bring Ray onto the team, needs every person he can get in his fight with the League of Shadows.

“Can we trust him?” Sara asks as they observe Ray and Felicity working on a new piece of tech that might help them track the elusive Ra’s al Ghul. 

“If Felicity says we can,” he says, but doesn’t finish the statement because Sara is nodding along with him, Felicity’s approval all she needs. 

Their entire operation is finally running smoothly, the plan helped along by Sara and Malcolm’s inside information. The only snag comes when Oliver tells Thea she can’t come with them for the final battle.

“You can sit in the van with Felicity,” he says, noticing that Roy is nodding along with him.

 “No way,” Thea yells back, stepping forward to take him on. It dissolves from there as both he and Roy try to convince Thea, while oddly enough Malcolm has her back. Their argument is on a loop. Thea says she’s ready, Malcolm says she’s ready. Roy and Oliver don’t want to risk it.

“Stop,” Felicity says and the whole room goes quiet as she steps forward, away from Ray, to stand in front of Oliver. He’s waiting with bated breath. “You can’t protect Thea forever.”

“I can’t—“

“Oliver,” she cuts him off, staring at him in that way that makes him feel like he’s the only person in the room. “It’s not your choice to make. Trust your sister.”

He swallows, closing his eyes for half a second to center himself, before he looks over Felicity’s shoulder and nods.

“But you listen to every instruction I say. Even if I say ‘run,’” he says. “Got it?”

“Yes,” Thea says with a grin. “Thank you.”

He still thinks it’s a horrible idea. But he knows Felicity is right, knows it’s time to trust his sister again. He moves to get his mask when he catches Ray staring at him with an odd expression.

“Need something?” Oliver asks in a blatantly annoyed tone.

“Oliver,” Felicity chastises him.

“No,” Ray speaks up before Oliver can apologize. “I just realized something.”

Both Oliver and Felicity are looking at Ray expectantly, but he shrugs his shoulders, muttering something about ‘now not being the time.’ Oliver shakes his head, focusing back on the mission. 

More than once during the battle he thinks he is thankful that both Ray and Thea are there. They both save his life at least twice. When the dust finally settles, Ra’s al Ghul is missing but the city has been purged of the League. 

“He’ll be back,” Sara says to the team at large. “He’s hard to kill.”

“And we’ll be ready for him,” Oliver vows, this is his city. He’s not letting anyone else take it from him again. 

The next day he sends out a mass text asking everyone to come over for his world famous chili in celebration of their victory. Sara shows up with beer, Roy shows up with vodka. Thea is ten minutes late, but she show up with pizza.

“Sorry Ollie,” Thea says pushing past him and his hurt expression. “You’re good at a lot of things. But cooking isn’t one of them. Or did you forget that your last batch of chili made me vomit?”

“I was sixteen, I’ve come a long way,” he says, about to shut the door behind her when a familiar ‘hey’ stops him. He pulls the door open, Felicity walking down the hallway toward him wearing what passes for ‘casual’ in Felicity’s eyes.  She holds up a bottle of wine, smiling. 

“I brought the good stuff,” she says. “Not everyday we stop an international terrorist.”

“Where’s Ray?” He asks instead of laughing at her joke like he’d wanted to.

“Oh.” She stops short in the doorway, her eyes falling to the wine bottle in her hand. “He broke up with me.”

He pulls her in for hug before he does something stupid like kiss her. She falls into him, her arms snaking around his waist, the wine bottle pressing slightly uncomfortably into his back. They both hold on like it’s the last hug they’ll ever get.

“What happened?” Oliver asks, giving in and pressing a kiss to the top of her hair.

“It’s a long story,” Felicity’s muffled voice comes from his chest.

“I’ve got time.”

“Not tonight, okay?” she asks, pulling her head back so she can look up into his face. God, she’s beautiful.

“Okay,” he says softly. He knows Felicity is tough, knows if she needs him, she’ll ask. He forces himself to let her go, grabbing the bottle of wine from her and gesturing toward the kitchen where everyone has congregated. 

He catches Diggle’s eye as he enters behind her, shakes his head at his friend’s questioning look. Diggle nods, but Oliver notices Dig hugs Felicity a little longer than usual. The rest of the team seems to pick up on the vibe, no one asking about Ray. 

“Who wants chili?” he asks, his smile not forced or strained for the first time in a year. 

He’s met with groans from the entire kitchen.

Roy’s the only one who actually likes his chili, something he should care more about, but is too happy to be bothered. They are all in his living room in various positions around the room. Felicity sits next to him on the couch, holding Diggle’s sleeping baby in her arms

“How can you eat that stuff?” Sara asks with a laugh, when Roy goes back to get a second helping of the chili.

“What? I think it’s good,” Roy says with a shrug, returning to his position on the floor at Thea’s feet. 

“Thank you, Roy,” Oliver says. He’s having a hard time not staring at Felicity holding a baby in her arms. It’s doing weird things to his psyche, things that make him feel warm all over. 

He lets out a heavy sigh, taking in the room at large, so thankful everyone made it. 

 Felicity stays behind to help him clean up after everyone leaves. She’s talking about plans she has to upgrade the foundry while carefully drying the wet dishes he hands her. He knows a good friend would try to get her to open up about the breakup, but he’s not a good friend, so he lets her talk about whatever she wants. 

He takes twice as long to wash the last dish, because he knows she’ll leave when he’s done. 

“I think it’s clean, Oliver,” Felicity says, eyeing the bowl in his hands. He rinses it off and hands it her. He dries his hands, watching her the whole time until she puts the last dish away. She stares back, meeting his gaze head on. 

“Want to talk about it?” He sincerely hopes she says no.

“Nope,” she says, still not breaking eye contact. 

“Want to watch a movie?” he asks, even though he doesn’t actually own any movies and hasn’t had the cable hooked up yet.

“Nope.”

“Felicity—“

“Oliver,” she cuts him off, steps forward, her eyes search his face.

“Yeah?” he whispers, looking down at her as her toes nudge his. 

 He kisses her instead of letting her answer the question. He knows it’s too soon, knows her boyfriend broke up with her sometime in the last twenty-four hours. But his selfish side won’t be denied any more.

“Stay,” he says against her lips, surprised by the rawness in his voice. She nods, smiling. 

And he knows, if it’s up to him, he’ll never let her walk away again.


End file.
